Okocha ranked 33 in top 100 best foreign EPL players…See full details

Former Super Eagles captain, Austin Okocha, is 33rd on the list of top 100 best foreign players to feature in the English Premier League, according to the ranking by the celebrated football magazine, FourFourTwo.

The attacking midfielder, who represented Bolton Wanderers for four seasons, was one of the foreign players, who added glamour to the EPL during his playing days in England.

According to the magazine, “Okocha almost single-handedly rescued Bolton from relegation trouble in his first season, netting crucial long-range goals and dazzling the Premier League with a string of outrageous skills and showboats that embarrassed a host of opponents.

“For half a season, he wasn’t far from being the best player in the league – even at Bolton,” the magazine said.

During his heydays at Bolton, Okocha won the BBC African Footballer of the Year in 2003 and 2004, and claimed the Premier League Player of the Month in November 2003.

Former Nigeria captain and Arsenal striker, Nwankwo Kanu and erstwhile Super Eagles forward, Yakubu Aiyegbeni, were also listed in the top 100 players. The two players were ranked lower than Okocha.

Nigerians in Cameroun give tips on how to beat Lions in Limbe…See full details

Cameroon's defender Michael Ngadeu-Ngadjui holds up the trophy as the team celebrates beating Egypt 2-1 to win the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations final football match between Egypt and Cameroon at the Stade de l'Amitie Sino-Gabonaise in Libreville on February 5, 2017. PHOTO: ISSOUF SANOGO / AFP

A Nigerian based in Cameroun, Samson Afejukwu was a regular caller in Super Falcons camp at the mountain and sea view Hotel Parliamentarian Flat in Buea, where the team played its group matches and semifinal tie during the 10th African Women’s Nations Cup, which Nigeria won last December.

Buea, a town with unpredictable weather condition, is in south-west region of Cameroon. It is about 15 kilometers drive to the 20,000 capacity Omisport Stadium in Limbe, where the Super Eagles will play their 2018 World Cup qualifier against the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun in September this year.

The hill-top and ocean view Omisport complex, the first international stadium build in the South West Region of Cameroun, was the venue of the Group B opener between the Super Falcons and the girls from Mali last November, where the coach Florence Omagbemi-led team triumphed 6-0.

Nigeria will host the Indomitable Lions in Uyo on August 28 before travelling to Cameroun for the return fixture on September 2. The Eagles have six points and are on top of Group B from two games ahead of the Lions, who have two points, while Zambia and Algeria have only a point to show after two matches.

Afejukwu, a football enthusiast based in Limbe, Cameroun told The Guardian in a telephone chat yesterday there was nothing to worry about the Lions.

“The Lions of Cameroun are the new African champions, but I don’t see that making any difference in the World Cup qualifiers in September,” Afejukwu said.

“They were just lucky in Gabon and I want Nigerians back home to see it from that angle. Perhaps, if the Super Eagles were in Gabon, things wouldn’t have worked out smoothly for the Lions. This region can be very cold sometime, and I want the NFF to put it into consideration when preparing the team for the return leg. As I said, the Indomitable Lions are beatable here in Limbe because it is a no man’s land,” Afejukwu said.

Another Nigerian, Emmanuel Osubida, a trader at Buea town, said that it is a long time to go till August, and he strongly believe ‘many distractions’ might crop up in the camp of the Lions that may derail their World Cup aspiration.

‘Why we took Emirates FA Cup to all DStv packages, GOtv Plus’…See full details

Marketing Manager, SuperSport West Africa, Chidozie Bede-Nwokoye; Public Relations Manager, GOtv, Efe Obiomah; General Manager, Marketing and Sales, MultiChoice Nigeria, Martin Mabutho; and GOtv Marketing Manager, Johnson Ivase, during a media parley to announce the addition of the 2016/17 Emirates FA Cup season to all DStv packages and GOtv Plus in Lagos… on Wednesday.

Barely a week after delighting football fans across the continent with a gripping buffet of African football action live from the Afcon 2017 tournament, MultiChoice says it has further turned up the football fever with the addition of the rest of the 2016/17 Emirates FA Cup season to all DStv packages and GOtv Plus at no extra cost.

Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, Multichoice General Manager, Marketing, Martin Mabutho, said from tomorrow till May 27, 2017, all active DStv customers on Compact, Family and Access as well asGOtv Plus will score big with a coveted “all-access” pass to enjoy all the action Live and in HD (DStv only) from the comfort of their homes! Customers will have a front-row view as one of the most celebrated football cup competitions- the Emirates FA Cup, enters its tantalising fifth round.

Mabutho, who represented the company’s Managing Director, John Ugbe, at the parley with the media, said, “at MultiChoice, we understand that our customers love football as much as we do. With the Afcon 2017 now over, we want to make sure that they continue to enjoy world-class football, regardless of their package plan.

“Adding the rest of the season of Emirates FA Cup to all the DStv packages and on GOtv Plus will further add more value for ourcustomers as well as enhance their viewing experience.

“Furthermore, from February 16, intended DStv subscribers will be able to purchase the DStv HD Zappa decoder and dish kit bundled with three months Access subscription for N9,900, or the DStv HD Zappa decoder, dish kit and 2 months Family subscription at N9,900. The special offer is valid while stocks last.”

Al-Makura sacks 10 commissioners (Read full details)

Al-Makura

Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura yesterday sacked 10 of the 16 commissioners in his cabinet. A statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Mohammed Abdullahi disclosed that six commissioners were retained while two were redeployed to other ministries.

Those affected by the sack are the commissioner for finance, Dominic Bako-Nasarawa Eggon; Youths and Sports, Ishaka Galadima-Awe; Agriculture and Water Resources, Aliyu Yusuf Lawee-Akwanga.

Others are Makeri Danladi-Kokona, Works, Housing and Transport; Idris Mohammed Idris-Keffi, Special Education, Science and Technology; Eunice Kigbu-Lafia, Women Affairs and Social Development; Dr. Uthman Ibrahim, Budget and Planning; Ramatu Ajuji Abubakar, Education; Tim Yiga, Information, Culture and Tourism and Mustapha Yahaya Idris, Community and Rural Development.

Those retained are the Commissioner for Justice, Yusuf Shehu-Usman; Health, Dr. Daniel Iya; Lands, Sunny Agassi and Environment, Gabriel Aka’aka.

Fleeing Boko Haram insurgents set village ablaze in Yobe state (Read full details)

Boko Haram

Fleeing Boko Haram suspects in a convoy of Toyota Hilux vehicles and motorcycles attacked Sasawa village in Damaturu Local Government Council of Yobe State, setting ablaze several houses and shops on Sunday night.

Sasawa is a farming community, 48 kilometres north of Damaturu, the state capital.

Military sources in Damaturu said yesterday that the insurgents invaded the village through the southern exit of Sambisa Forest, which was captured last December.

“Even though we cannot ascertain the level of casualties, but most of the houses and shops in the village were burnt down by the fleeing insurgents, while some of the villagers escaped into nearby bush,” said the military source in Damaturu.

He said that troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have been deployed to the village in the early hours of yesterday.

The casualty figure remains imprecise, but security analysts are worried about the attack due to the proximity of Sasawa village to Damaturu.

Also, six armed Boko Haram terrorists on motorcycles were sighted fleeing through Lumamari village in Yunusari Council Area of the state, though without attacking any persons or destroying any property.

It was gathered that fleeing the terrorists towards north part the state, were also carrying AK-47 rifles without hurting any villager.

“The fleeing insurgents passed through the village without harming anyone while most of the villagers fled into the bush,” said one of the villagers.
Lumamari is about 25 kilometres from Kanama, the council headquarters of Yunusari.

“Our council area is one of the high-risk areas in the state and is still experiencing frequent insurgent attacks, before the insurgents fled through this village,” said Buba Musa, a farmer.

Police deployed 300 personnel for peacekeeping in 2016 (Read full details)

Nigeria Police

The Nigeria Police said about 300 personnel were deployed for peacekeeping operations in Africa and the Caribbean last year.The Director, Directorate of Peace Keeping, Nigeria Police, DCP Lawan Jimeta, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja yesterday that the number included 57 female officers.

“We sent over 300 personnel to Mali, South Sudan, Somalia, DR Congo, Liberia and Haiti, including male and female in 2016,” he said.He said the Nigeria Police was the largest contributor of female personnel for peace keeping in Africa with 22 female deployed to Mali and 36 to Somalia.

Jimeta said the reduction of UN peace operations led to a drop in the number of personnel deployed.According to him: “Since 2000, the concept of peace keeping had expanded to involve not only the army, police but also all aspects of security and law enforcement generally.” He noted that inadequate equipment is one of the challenges confronting the police in peacekeeping operations.